Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Aboriginal Health disparity
Aboriginal Health disparity
Aboriginal Health disparity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Aboriginal Health disparity
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its deriving acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are devastating conditions that currently affect approximately 35.3 million individuals globally (WHO, 2012). In the Canadian context, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS ascended to 71,300 cases in 2011, with 8.9% of the affected individuals being aboriginal peoples (PHAC, 2011). This number not only indicates an overrepresentation of the aboriginal population among the totality of HIV/AIDS cases in the country, but it also illustrates an elevated incidence of 17.3% from the numbers reported in 2008 (PHAC, 2011). The aforementioned statistics were here exposed with the intent of recognizing the incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS, as alarming public health issues superimposed on the already vulnerable segment of the Canadian population that is the aboriginal community. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to gradually examine the multiple determinants and factors contributing to such problem as well as some of the possible actions that can ameliorate it.
Social, Historical, Economic and Political Factors
A reasonable way of understanding why aboriginal people in Canada are at a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS is to go back in time and revisit a few historical events that left an indelible mark on this population. To exemplify, colonialism, the 1876 Indian Act and the establishment of residential schools and Indian reserves, resulted in the loss of physical territory, cultural values and had a demoralizing and traumatizing effect on the indigenous peoples of Canada that extends to this date (Reading & Wien, 2009). Also deriving from colonization, were the losses of self-determination, power of voice and decision making as well...
... middle of paper ...
...rvreport/estimat2011-eng.php
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: An International
Conference on Health Promotion. Retrieved 14/03/16 from:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/docs/charter-chartre/index-eng.php
Reading, C. L. and Wien, F. (2009) Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Aboriginal
Peoples’ Health. National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. Retrieved 14/03/06
from: http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/hivaids-report.pdf
Statistics Canada. Aboriginal peoples in Canada in 2006: Inuit, Métis and First Nations, 2006–
findings. Ottawa: Statistics Canada; 2008. Retrieved 14/03/09 from:
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/aboriginal/index.cfm
World Health Organization (2012). HIV/AIDS, Retrieved 14/03/08 from:
http://www.who.int/hiv/en/
Advanced knowledge of Aboriginal Health policy and issues at the level and national level including understanding successful measures around Closing the Gap in Aboriginal Health inequality. My desire to work in the aboriginal field begins since I was very young. That is why at 16 years of my age I started to be even more interested in understanding all the issues related to the aborigines of this country. Over time, I looked that all my knowledge be trained at health level basis to help to improve the Aboriginal quality of life standards.
The 1967 referendum resulted in the change of the Constitution on August 10 of that year, initiating the start of great change for the lives of indigenous people in Australia. The referendum sought to change Sections 51 and 127 of the Constitution. Section 51 stated the Federal Government could make laws for anyone in the nation except aborigines, leaving state governments in charge (Creative Spirits – 1967 Referendum, online, 14/8/15). Section 127 specified that when the population of the Commonwealth was counted, indigenous people were not included (Creative Spirits – 1967 Referendum, online, 14/8/15). According to Faith Bandler, an indigenous civil rights activist, it was important to force the Commonwealth to be responsible for the aborigines
After colonization began there were countless detrimental changes to the indigenous way of life that took place. Neu (2000) discusses these detrimental changes in detail. The author accounts for the lost of their land and natural environment, the discouragement of their lifestyle focused on hunting and gathering, the separation of families via the residential school system, and the punishment received for the usage of traditional customs and language. In many ways the colonists disrespected the Aboriginal people by disregarding their fundamental needs and wants. Additionally, the process of colonization implemented some drastic gender role changes into Aboriginal culture. Colonization imposed European patriarchy, accompanied by racism and sexism, on the matriarchal Aboriginal cultures. As a result, the Aboriginal women of Canada lost their sense of purpose and responsibility, burdening them with less respect and power compared to the men. This loss contributed to many negative effects for these women and made them feel a strong sense of cultural estrangement.
Health care inequities can be elucidated by the research that identifies the social, economic and political ideologies that reflect aspects of cultural safety (Crandon, 1986; O’Neil, 1989 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). There are various factors that affect the mistreatment of aboriginal peoples as they access health care in local health care facilities such as hospitals and clinics. Aboriginal women face many barriers and are discriminated against as a result based on their visible minority status such as race, gender and class (Gerber, 1990; Dion Stout, 1996; Voyageur, 1996 as cited in Browne & Fiske, 2001). A study done on Aboriginal peoples in Northern B.C. showed high rates of unemployment, underemployment and dependency on social welfare monies (Browne & Fiske, 2001). This continued political economic marginalisation of aboriginal peoples widens the gap between the colonizers and the colonized. The existence of racial profiling of aboriginal peoples by “Indian status” often fuels more stigmatization of these people because other Canadians who do not see the benefits of compensations received with having this status often can be resentful in what they may perceive is another compensation to aboriginal peoples. The re...
Reed, Kevin, Natasha Beeds, and Barbara Filion. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2011. Print.
The author mentions a few key take away main points. First of all, solutions must address the underlying causes of HIV risk among women. This mainly includes poverty and disempowerment because women in lower living standar...
One of the reasons I chose to focus on health and education as well as premature death is because of their innate connection. That is, poor access to health and education can be understood as factors associated with an increased likelihood of premature death. Further, in the Canadian context colonization is linked to the “poor health, both physical and mental, substance abuse, suicide risk, and early death” (Million, 2013, 5), of Aboriginal people. For Million (2013), the problem in this particular context is that the Canadian government created a narrative of the colonized subject as a trauma victim
Firstly, gender disparity plays a significant role in aboriginal health, especially in the administration of health care. In Aboriginal culture, there are certain health practices that can only be done by either men or women, but not all (Bonvillain, 2001). In most cases, women are treated by their female counterparts whereas male doctors handle male patients. This means that a male doctor cannot undertake a vaginal inspection and a female nurse cannot teach an aboriginal man about self-catheterization. As a result, a breach of this traditional gender division, for instance a male doctor helping a woman in emergencies, is likely to cause shame, distress, depression, and fear of breaking a particular taboo (Freud, 2000).
Ed. Shelagh Rogers, Mike DeGagné, Jonathan Dewar, and Glen Lowry. Ottawa, Ont.: Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2006. Print.
Narrowing towards thesis: “Aboriginal women between 25 and 44 are five times more likely to die a violent death than other women.”( The Tragedy of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women in Canada).
In order to understand the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal health; it is important to recognize their worldview or set of beliefs on health (Tilburt, 2010). They practice a “holistic” approach unlike the Western Biomedical model where health is centred on biological functioning (Lock, 2007). According to this model the essence of being healthy relies on the mental, spiritual and social well-being rather than the absence of an illness (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). It is closely linked to spiritual and environmental factors; the heart of which is country, tradition and kinship. Land is a source of identity and spirituality for indigenous people (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). Kinship manages connection to land as well as ceremonial obligations and interpersonal relationships (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders a healthy person consists of physical and spiritual elements. It’s evident that colonisation eroded the structures upon which Indige...
Similar to other marginalized groups affected by colonialism due to the government in power, the Indigenous peoples of Canada have struggled as a nation due to the unequal treatment they have encountered in the past. The governing bodies that control these Indigenous communities have continued to have colonialistic tendencies that attempt to put the ‘white man’s’ needs before the Indigenous peoples.
I share the opinion that the higher rate of HIV infection in the world stems in part from failure of personal responsibility and inattention to warnings from HIV/AIDS advocates, physicians and community organizations. However there are other elements that play an imperative role in the devastation that HIV/AIDS is causing in poor and minority communities according to the article “America’s Epidemic” by Gloria Browne Marshal.
The epidemic of HIV/AIDS has been a repeat offender in the deaths of many people worldwide, African Americans, specifically, have been disproportionately impacted by this virus since it was first discovered in the early 1980s. Despite African Americans only being accountable for a small portion of the total U.S. population, they are the ethnic group most greatly affected by this virus. The HIV and AIDS epidemic does not simply target African American males, but over the years has grown to greatly affect black women, gay and bisexual men and the youth as well. There are many speculations as to why the ethnic group of African Americans has such a high rate of HIV and AIDS, however, this paper will explore specific reasoning behind this issue. The prevalence of HIV and AIDS amongst African Americans is an ongoing health issue due to lack of education and awareness, a smaller population, demographics and stigmas towards gay and bisexual groups.
...ld Health Organization (WHO) report shows that, most people living with HIV or at risk for HIV do not have access to treatment, care and prevention and there is still no cure. In spite of these challenges, there have been successes. Global efforts have been made to address the epidemic, specifically in the last decade. The HIV prevalence rates have been reduced in a small but growing number of countries due to prevention and new HIV infections are believed to be on the decline. In addition to this, the number of people with HIV receiving treatment in resource poor countries has increased 10 times since 2002, nearing an estimated 4 million by 2008.